I Am the Bread of Life

The First of the “I AM” Statements in John

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst

— John 6:35 

The Gospel of John has seven “I AM” statements. Each one reveals a little more about who Jesus is. And what better way to learn about Jesus than from His own statements telling you who He is?

These statements also echo how YHWH reveals Himself to Moses in Exodus as the “I AM.”

Let’s  journey together to learn more about who Jesus is from how He describes Himself!

What Jesus Offers is Eternal 

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life

— John 6:27

Every morning I seem to forget this truth. When I start to plan my day I usually think about how busy I am and don’t have time to meet with Jesus. The perishable becomes important and the imperishable, optional. Usually I have to intentionally stop and remind myself that I’m planning my day backwards. What seemed optional is essential and it’s the only thing I can’t remove from my calendar. It’s a matter of survival. 

The Work We are Called to is Faith

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

— John 6:29

When my anxieties hit, which is often, I often ask, “What do I need to be doing better?” The answer Jesus constantly replies with is the work of faith. Trust in Him – He is the source. Instead of trying harder or working smarter the invitation is to rest in my belief of the one who was sent to do the work. I cannot count how many times I didn’t make an extra sales call or check another item off my to do list, instead I opened the Psalms and prayed a prayer of thankfulness. Turned out, that was exactly what I needed. 

Jesus is the True Mana from Heaven

I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

— John 6:51

The Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years and during that time were supernaturally sustained with bread (mana) from heaven. The thing about that mana is it only lasted a day. If they kept it more than that it would spoil.  When Jesus reveals himself as the true mana from heaven, we never have to look for another meal elsewhere. He will never spoil. He is our daily bread that will never rot. The imperishable food that removes all hunger. 

We are Eternally Secure with Jesus

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

— John 6:39

If you are Christ’s, you cannot be lost. You may stray but he will always leave the 99 to find that 1 sheep. He will lose nothing of all that was given to him. There is such peace in that for me. Through all my trials, struggles, hardships, and testing – I know that God has me. No one can snatch me and nothing can separate me from His love. What else do I ever need to be thankful?

Jesus is the Only Way

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

— John 6:40

Jesus is the only one with authority to raise us up to eternal life. It is popular to add Jesus to the spiritual soup of modernity- but it is also fatal. When we add Jesus to our own spiritual concoction, we actually lose Him. For how can we believe him and deny his claims at exclusivity all at once? We can’t. 

Communion is More than a Symbol 

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

— John 6:53

During communion we feast on the body and blood of Christ. It reminds us of his broken body and spilled blood. It connects us to His Body, the Church. It is the physical act of making Christ part of us. To say it is merely a symbol would be to downplay the impact of what Jesus says and the history of how serious the church takes this solemn act. It is the Good News rehearsed and remembered every Sunday: my life is wrapped up in His death. Thank you Jesus for this great feast!

Jesus Says Hard Things

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

— John 6:60

The Jesus I have encountered has confronted every bit of who I thought I was and wanted to become. He isn’t interested in making us comfortable. He is interested in our eternal salvation. That comes with hard truths, painful pruning, and fiery purification. Don’t be like some of the disciples that day and walk away. Lean in – it will be the best thing you ever do. 

True Satisfaction is Only Found in Jesus

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

— John 6:32

To never hunger and never thirst seems beyond comprehension. As humans, all we know is want and desire from the day we are born. Jesus’ claim is nothing short of life changing. All our want, all our desire can be satisfied in Him. To live content for eternity after finding Him as our food is a beautiful promise worth believing in.

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